The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Oxy-fuel cutting torches, or gas cutting torches, generally employ oxygen and a fuel gas, such as acetylene or propane, by way of example, to cut a workpiece. More specifically, preheat oxygen and the fuel gas are mixed and ignited to provide heat to the workpiece, and then additional oxygen, commonly referred to as cutting oxygen, is added to react with the heated workpiece. This reaction of the cutting oxygen with the heated workpiece initiates sufficient heat and momentum of the gases to initiate a cutting process.
The cutting torch may be a premixed or a postmixed type torch. In a premixed torch, preheat oxygen and fuel gas are mixed within the torch head before being discharged for ignition. In a postmixed cutting torch, the preheat oxygen and fuel gas are discharged from the torch in unmixed streams. Turbulence in the discharged streams mixes the oxygen and fuel gas before ignition occurs. An advantage of the postmixed cutting torch is that postmixed cutting tips produce a longer heat zone than premixed tips, which permits the postmixed torches to operate farther from the work, decreasing the heat stress on the torch and increasing the service life of the tip.
With their inherent drawbacks, improved designs are desired in the field of premixed gas cutting torches. Moreover, ways in which to increase the lifetime of the premixed tip and provide a more compact tip design and thus reduce costs are also desirable.